Braves Make Surprising Didier Fuentes Decision for Start of Season

One of the Atlanta Braves' standout performers on the mound in spring training has reportedly earned a spot on the big league team's Opening Day roster.

Right-handed pitcher Didier Fuentes, Atlanta's No. 3 prospect for 2026 on MLB Pipeline, will be in the majors to start the season, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The twist, though, is that the Braves reportedly intend to use the 20-year-old out of the bullpen.

Fuentes has had a superb showing in spring training so far. He's yet to give up a hit, run, or walk in nine innings pitched, and the only base runner he's allowed came on a hit-by-pitch. The young righty has also racked up 17 strikeouts, eight of which came in his latest spring outing when he threw four perfect innings against the Philadelphia Phillies.

But now, the next step for Fuentes will be trying to translate his spring training success to the big league bullpen.

Didier Fuentes could still be next man up in Braves' rotation

Atlanta Braves pitcher Didier Fuentes — Mar 13, 2026; North Port, Florida, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Didier Fuentes (72) throws a pitch during the first inning against the New York Yankees at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

While Fuentes has been unhittable so far this spring, that wasn't the case when he made his major league debut last year. The young righty gave up 20 runs and 23 hits in 13 innings pitched for the Braves in 2025. Those stats obviously came in a small sample size, but the same can be said for his spring training numbers this year.

Most notably, though, all four of Fuentes' appearances in the big leagues last year were starts. In fact, he's pitched in 52 minor league games so far in his career, and 48 of those were starts. Even though two of his three appearances this spring have been in relief, many Braves fans will likely be curious to see how the 20-year-old performs coming out of the bullpen.

Atlanta is projected to begin the season with a starting pitching staff featuring Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo López, Grant Holmes, and Bryce Elder. With the injury history for some of those arms and other Braves starters already getting hurt this year, Fuentes could play an important role this season as an option to make a spot start or fill any opening in Atlanta's rotation that pops up. But, for now, the 20-year-old will seemingly have the chance to prove he can succeed out of the bullpen in his second major league stint.